Indeed, ideology contributed to the outbreak of Cold War, by heightening tensions and

misperceptions between the two superpowers and subsequently intensifying their

action-reaction scenarios. However, rather than being the primary trigger for the Cold War,ideology was mainly manipulated by the superpowers to attain their strategic and economicconcerns. Thus, compared to ideology, strategic and economic concerns had been more criticalin leading to the mutual hostility and tension between US and USSR, as well as the division ofEurope into two opposing blocs that defined the outbreak of Cold War.

Indeed, USSRs Sovietisation of Eastern Europe appeared to the US as communist

expansionist tendencies, increasing suspicions of USSR's intents and hence, raisinghostilities between the superpowers.Sovietisation of Eastern Europe, which began from 1945, using Salami tactics such asunderhand means of rigging elections and expelling non-communist members from thegovernment, appeared as a communist goal of eliminating western ideology in Europe. This canbe seen when in 1947, communists took over the Polish government by rigging elections andforcing the London Poles, recognised by the West, to step down and went into exile. Likewise,the 1947 brutal communist takeover of Czechoslovakia, a country democratic but well-disposedto USSR, with 40% of its coalition govt being communists, further pointed to Soviet imperialismand aggression.Hence, the brutal communist takeovers in Eastern Europe, which violated the agreements madeat Yalta and Potsdam, appeared as USSR spreading communism while suppressing Westernideology in Eastern Europe. This heightened US's distrust towards USSR, creating hostilitybetween the two superpowers.

On the other hand, US containment policy, which inadvertently marked the start of achain of action-reaction that eventually divided Europe into two political and economicblocs, seemed to be driven by the threat posed by the clash in ideologies.USSR's actions in Eastern Europe, as well as her perceived role in aiding the rise ofcommunism in Greece and Turkey, seemed to pose an ideological threat to US.This formed the basis of Containment policy enunciated in 1947. Truman Doctrine pledged tosupport 'free people' facing aggression from 'totalitarian regimes' by providing financial aid toEuropean countries allegedly threatened by communism. Marshall Plan then expanded fromthis doctrine to channel more resources to aid recovery of European economies. This woulddecrease the viability of communism and hence, contain the spread of communism.Thus, US containment policy, which appeared as means to curb the spread of communism,consequently added tensions and hostility from USSR and deteriorated superpowers' relations.

Still, ideological differences had clearly existed since 1917 but superpower relations between1917 and 1940 remained amiable and accommodating. Despite the superpowers perennialmutual mistrust and suspicion, during World War II, both US and USSR were able to put asidetheir conflicting ideologies to work towards the common goal of eradicating Hitler and Fascism.Hence, ideology alone cannot justify the outbreak of Cold War. Rather, ideology served mainlyas a tool which both US and USSR manipulated to secure their conflicting post-war nationalinterests. The vying for national interests escalated tensions between them and was ultimately,the more crucial cause of the outbreak of Cold War.

The US played up the threat of ideological difference between the US and USSR to secureits economic and political dominance in post-WWII Europe. This then threatened Sovietsecurity interests, thereby fueling hostility and a string of Soviets' counter-responses,accelerating the outbreak of Cold war.Europe had been the main market for US goods during the war. To prevent post-War economicslump, Europe must be economically strong to be a viable market for US goods.Truman, to ensure US's economic hegemony in Europe, thus exaggerated the ideological threatposed by communism to convince the reluctant Congress to put $400 million in TrumanDoctrine to support European economies.Ideological differences was further manipulated in the Marshall Plan to justify economic aid toWestern Europe as containing communism. This evidently showed with bulk of the $13 millionof Marshall aid going to France and Britain, whose economies were already capitalist, instead ofTurkey and Greece that faced more immediate threats of communism.Clearly, clash of ideologies was merely a tool to mask and facilitate the economic needs of theUS government. It was US's economic interests that clashed with USSR's security concerns thatprovoked a cascade of action-reaction scenarios between them.

USSR's response to US actions was to more significantly to defend its security interestsrather than mere ideological beliefs.USSR sought to secure its borders from future invasions after the loss of 27 million lives anddevastated economy from WWII.Initial Sovietisation only occurred in countries of critical strategic importance to USSR such asPoland, Bulgaria and Hungary, with other zones of occupation in Eastern Europe only requiringa government friendly to USSR.In 1947, US implemented Marshall Plan, opening it to all economically torn countries includingEastern Europe, if they open their markets to US-made goods. Rather than merely openingEastern Europe to Western ideology, acceptance of Marshall aid would more importantly resultin an economically strong Eastern Europe while deteriorating Soviet's control of its bloc, henceraising possibilities of invasions of USSR. Hence, Marshall Plan provoked USSR to furtherstrengthen its sphere of influence by forcefully sovietising all the other Eastern Europeancountries from 1947 onwards, such as Czechoslovakia. It was the desire from some members ofCzech government to take up Marshall aid that drove the 1948 communist takeover ofCzechoslovakia.Thus, the threats posed by US containment policies to USSR's strategic interests sparked itsintensification of Sovietisation, contributing to the crystallization of ideological and economicchasm of post-war Europe.

Although it could be perceived that US and USSR actions in the events of Germany wereideologically motivated, with each trying to consolidate their respective spheres ofinfluences, it was actually driven more by national interests, and the action-reactionscenarios that followed would ultimately divide Europe physically and militarily.The clash of national interests was most closely depicted in Germany. US wanted to restore theeconomy of Germany, the heart of European economy, to facilitate US's economic hegemony inEurope. In contrast, having been invaded twice in the past 50 years by Germany, USSR wantedto keep Germany weak economically and militarily to secure its borders.In 1948, to promote economic recovery, US led the Western attempt to a West German stateand introduced a new currency in their zones. This triggered fears of a revived Germany fromUSSR that would threaten Soviet security.Hence, to force the Western allies to abandon their plans of reunifying Germany, USSRimplemented the 1948 Berlin Blockade, blocking all water and land pathways to West Berlin, towhich US successfully responded with the Berlin Airlift.Berlin Blockade subsequently led to the division of Germany into West Germany and EastGermany in 1949, dividing Europe physically into two blocs.To safeguard Europe's security after the perceived display of Soviet's aggressive ambitions inBerlin Blockade, the military alliance, NATO, was signed among Western Europe and US in1949. NATO was however read by the USSR as being aggressively anti-Soviet. Thus, theaddition of Germany into NATO in 1955 directly led to USSR's implementation of its own militaryalliance, Warsaw Pact. This added a military dimension to the division of Europe.Hence, the conflicting national interests between US and USSR escalated mutual tensions anda series of action-reaction that further concreted the physical and military division of Europe.

Therefore, it is clear that both superpowers persistent pursuit of their strategic and economicinterests led to the division of Europe into opposing blocs. While ideologies did clash asCommunism and capitalism could not co-exist, they only conflicted as superpowers werepursuing their national interests in the same arena, Europe.